LONDON -- Japanese car maker Toyota Motor Corp. has reclaimed its position as the world's No. 1 car maker by sales.

On Monday, Toyota said that it sold a record 9.75 million vehicles last year. Detroit-based General Motors Co. sold 9.29 million vehicles over the same period.

GM had been the top-selling automaker for more than seven decades before losing the title to Toyota in 2008. GM retook the sales crown in 2011, when Toyota's production was hurt by the quake and tsunami in northeastern Japan.

The No. 3 player, Germany's Volkswagen AG, sold 9.1 million vehicles.

"Rather than going after numbers, we hope to make fine products, one by one, to keep out customers satisfied. The numbers are just a result of our policy. And our policy will continue unchanged," said Toyota spokeswoman Shino Yamada.

Toyota is targeting global vehicle sales of 9.91 million in 2013.

There was little activity in Toyota's U.S.-listed shares in pre-market trading.